It’s Time for a New Approach to Urban Design Education

… sustainable urbanism doesn’t just happen, it needs to be encouraged through the design of our cities. And though formal education isn’t a critical component of being a good urban designer, it is the path that many people follow before entering the profession. So as our cities and planet experience unprecedented change, how are universities responding with their urban design education options? Are we seeing an influx of new courses that proactively address the transformation of our cities? Are existing courses radically altering their teaching to prepare students for the difficult task of creating sustainable cities? Er, no.

In fact, whilst more of the same is the last thing our cities are promising us, more of the same is exactly what we’re getting in universities. Into decorating? That’s Interior Design. Want to design buildings? That’s Architecture. Cities? That’s Urban Planning. Green space? That’s Landscape Architecture. Though the reality of each of these professions involves frequent cross-disciplinary work, collaboration between built environment courses is not the norm. …

Sustainability can no longer simply be more of the same with ‘green’ materials, it must begin to truly question the unsustainable systems our buildings and cities exist within. It’s time colleges and universities started thinking a bit differently about how they approach education and the built environment.